ST. PAUL — A St. Paul man charged with fatally shooting the mother of his infant daughter says it was an accident that happened while he was holding their baby, according to a criminal complaint.

Dimitri Harrell told police after turning himself in Sunday that he accidentally shot Samirria White, 19, when he tried to pull a gun from his pocket while he held their 3-month-old in a bedroom, the complaint said. Harrell, 21, has been charged with second-degree murder.

White’s 16-year-old brother was present at the apartment and told police White was upset with Harrell because he had come and gone several times that night, police said. The teen told investigators he heard the couple arguing, then heard a gunshot, according to the Star Tribune.

He said he ran into the bedroom and saw Harrell who yelled at him to get away from his sister. Harrell told White���s brother that he did not mean to shoot White, the complaint said.